Thanks to its coffee’s worldwide known quality, the coffee region of the department of Huila was recently visited by Japanese industry executives interested in understanding the growing, production, and commercialization processes behind Huila´s coffee. Kentaro Maruyama, President and founder of Maruyama Coffee, whose goal is to take Colombian coffee to Asian markets, was one of the visitors.

La Nación, Neiva

The southern region of the department of Huila, a leading coffee producing region in Colombia, has recently become the favorite destination of Asian coffee industry executives seeking to understand the gap between the final product and the process behind its production. Asian executives have established important commercial relationships with Huila´s growers that enable them to take Colombian coffee to countries such as Japan and Korea.

Kentaro Maruyama, President and founder of Maruyama Coffee, was one of the recent visitors to Huila´s coffee region. According to the FNC’s Coffee Growers Committee of Huila, Maruyama Coffee is one of the foreign companies that pays the best prices to Colombian coffee growers. Besides visiting the department of Huila in four occasions, in several opportunities Maruyama has participated as judge in Colombia’s Cup of Excellence.

In his visit to Colombia Murayama congratulated coffee growers from Huila because “thanks to its high quality and particular cup profile, the coffee they produce is the best in its kind... I like Huila´s coffee because of the social capital behind its production… Coffee growers from Huila are completely different from all the other growers I’ve known, and besides, the department´s coffee culture is overwhelming.”

Finally, Murayama stated that even though all Colombian coffee is remarkable, Huila´s coffee is particularly excellent. “I´ve just bought coffee from the second annual main harvest, but since Huila has two crops per year, I expect to buy more coffee in the coming harvest.”